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The Selector: Sept. 18-25, 2013

"Dark Matters: The Films of William Friedkin"

The Pacific Film Archive's "Dark Matters: The Films of William Friedkin" wraps up this week with a trio of movies and a pair of special events. Thus far, the series has included 1985's To Live and Die in LA, 1971's The French Connection, and 1970's The Boys in the Band, but not — in an omission so obvious it's clearly deliberate — 1973's The Exorcist. Friedkin himself visits Berkeley tonight for a discussion with film critic Michael Guillen (following a showing of 1977 nail-biter Sorcerer); the director returns Sat/21 to sign copies of his new memoir, The Friedkin Connection, and will appear in person at screenings of 1980's Cruising and 2011's Killer Joe. (Cheryl Eddy)

Tonight, Sorcerer and discussion, 7pm

Sat/21, book signing, 6pm; Cruising, 6:30pm; Killer Joe, 8:50pm

$5.50–$9.50

Pacific Film Archive

2575 Bancroft, Berk.

bampfa.berkeley.edu

The Jill & Julia Show

Over a decade before Katy Perry released her vomitously bubblegum, gay-appropriating smash-hit single "I Kissed a Girl," Jill Sobule released a single of the same name. Where Perry's was vulgar and derivative, Sobule's was honest, witty, and painfully poignant. Amusing and whimsical lyrics are a trademark of Sobule's work, and her gift for words and humor are what make her a perfect match for Saturday Night Live veteran Julia Sweeney. Sweeney is most famous for her androgynous SNL character Pat and her biting one-woman monologues. Sweeney and Sobule met at a TED conference at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2006, and after professing their admiration for each other's work, the women joined forces, resulting in the Jill & Julia Show, a touring production of Jill's songs and Julia's stories that is certain to leave you gasping for breath. (Haley Zaremba)

"Not Dead Yet: Movie and Music to End ALS"

The inspiring resilience of Richmond, Calif. native Jason Becker — a talented young guitarist destined for metal-god status until he was immobilized by Lou Gehrig's Disease — was chronicled in 2012's Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, its cheeky title a reference to the fact that Becker, now 44, has long outlived the grim prognosis of doctors who predicted he'd be dead by 25. As the doc shows, Becker continues to communicate and even compose complex music via a remarkable system that interprets his eye movements. Head to Bimbo's tonight for a screening of Jesse Vile's film, plus a concert with Pearl (featuring Scott Ian of Anthrax) and Forrest Day. Becker will also attend the event, which doubles as a fundraiser for the Jason Becker Special Needs Trust and the ALS Therapy Development Institute. (Eddy)

Hard Skin

The person who booked this show is either a deviant mastermind or holding a great social experiment. In one corner, sits the headliner Hard Skin, a sophomoric English oi! band from the '90s that boasts such classics as "A.C.A.C. (All Coppers are Cunts)" and "Oi Not Jobs." In the other corner sits the second band on the bill, Replica, a nearly-all girl hardcore band from a decidedly younger generation that may agree with the anti-police sentiment but not the liberal use of the "c-word." Though the bands may differ from each other, there's no mistaking that Hard Skin and Replica both come from supportive underground scenes. Hard Skin's debut release, 1998's Hard Nuts and Hard Cunts, sold 100,000 copies and the folks from Replica have gained local support and hype for their self-titled EP released earlier this year on Prank Records. Come see the generational, gender, and genre divides intersect at Thee Parkside, and take notes.This should be a doozy. (Erin Dage)

Diaspora Tales #2: 1969

The late 1960s may be remembered more as a fight for freedom by African-American communities. But Asian-Americans were equally determined to demand equality. Both saxophonist-composer Francis Wong and choreographer-dancer Lenora Lee have use their artistic expression to convey the struggles that they have unearthed within their own families. Diaspora Tales #2: 1969, originally created for the 40th anniversary of UC Berkeley's Third World Strike, is a multimedia performance work that commemorates the courage and sacrifices by those involved, Wong's brother having been one of them. Kung Fu, both as martial arts and in its more lyrically expressive form, join jazz, funk, and rap to evoke both a period and a challenge that yet has to be completely overcome. Olivia Ting created Diaspora's visual components. (Rita Felciano)

7:30pm, $7

Asian Improv aRts

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

2626 Bancroft, Berk.

bampfa.berkeley.edu

"The Era is Now: Films of James T. Hong"

In 2000, experimental filmmaker James T. Hong's scorching, Golden Gate Award-winning film Behold the Asian dubbed San Francisco "the white asshole paradise." Though he now lives in Taiwan (for reasons that should be obvious), the former Mission District dweller — a man who fears no audience reaction — makes a rare return for a San Francisco Cinematheque-hosted screening of his latest work. New films enhancing what the SF Cinematheque dubs "a confrontationally intense body of work exploring racialism, philosophy, and revisionist approaches to history" include two from 2012, installation Apologies and The Turner Film Diaries; and this year's Cutaways of Jiang Chun Gen — Forward and Back Again. (Eddy)

Matias Aguayo

If you know this one-time minimalist-Closer Musik member from the all a capella cut-up jam "Rollerskate" or his wild Spanglish guest appearance on math-rockers Battles's "Ice Cream," you know that Aguayo's voice is impossible to pin down. On The Visitor, his latest release on South American Kompakt offshoot Cómeme, Aguayo is as hard as ever to locate geographically, blurring Latin dialects and reverse engineering English lyrics over a mix of increasingly psychedelic rhythms that cut across (and veer from) generic dance and world music boundaries. With a new live show — expect lots of percussion and off-the-wall vocals on top of tracks —Aguayo could seem to be less on tour from another country, and more like a visitor from outer space. (Ryan Prendiville)

Blouse

Portland, Oreg. trio, Blouse, may have ditched the synths and drum machines of its 2011 debut self-titled album with new Captured Tracks full-length, Imperium, but the sound remains as hazy and dreamy as ever. Now it's just backed by rippling reverb and distortion. The misty dreampop band makes siren calls that would entice a shipwrecked sailor, floating endlessly in a gurgling oceanic abyss. See? Wistful. Check first single, "A Feeling Like This" or next track "No Shelter" for that particular mental imagery. It's all there, the swashing of fuzz, the wide open minimalism à la xx, the delicate, teetering vocal tracks, and an uneasy feeling of isolation. (Emily Savage)

Wild Moth

There's no question about it, there's a lot of post-punk bands popping up in the Bay right now. For many of these bands, the term post-punk has been slapped on, but they don't actually fit into these specific distinctions. You have a band that maintains a punk edge but is noisy and decidedly experimental at times? Definitely post-punk. That being said, San Francisco sweethearts Wild Moth have this whole "post-punk" thing down to an art. The band's record release show for its newest album Over, Again on Asian Man Records is tonight. Joining the fun will be fellow post-punk bands Permanent Collection and No Tongue, as well as riot grrrl act Tenderbuttons. And accordingly, Wild Moth isn't the only band on the bill with new stuff out. This summer Permanent Collection came out with its No Void EP and No Tongue dropped its newest EP, Body + Mind. As cliche as it sounds, support your local scene and pick up some new tunes! (Dage)

Amanda Cohen

Author of Dirtcandy: The Cookbook, Amanda Cohen will discuss her unpredictable approach to cooking with vegetables (as a main dish) and tonight. The ambitious cook pairs unexpected flavors and presents them in a surprisingly harmonious way, and her cookbook is entirely in graphic novel form. Take her mushroom appetizer, a portabello mousse on truffled toast, drizzled with pear and fennel compote; or her Rosemary Eggplant Tiramisu, with rosemary cotton candy for example. Cohen was the first vegetarian chef on Iron Chef, and has been praised in the New Yorker and the New York Times among others. At Omnivore Books, she'll discuss her journey, building a restaurant from the ground up to an always-crowded, original alternative restaurant in New York City. Stop by the store to meet Cohen and to pick up a copy of her comic cookbook. Also to possibly meet some fellow local veg-heads. (Hillary Smith)

Dirty Beaches

Alex Zhang Hungtai, the musician behind the Dirty Beaches moniker, is an old soul. An eternal stranger in a strange land with a flair for eccentricity, Hungtai seems straight out of the beat generation. Taiwan-born and Montreal-based, he has lived in a veritable laundry list of cities around the world (including a stint in San Francisco) and through his music and touring schedule, Hungtai's wanderlust shows no signs of slowing down. This restlessness is evident in Dirty Beaches' music, a muddy, murky mix of doo-wopesque vocals and surf-tinged guitars that never quite rises to the surface. His simple guitar- and sample-based rock is beefed up on the road with a full band and a saxophone player. This tour promises to be especially interesting, with Hungtai possibly performing sitting down or with a cane after he jumped out of a second story window to make his flight back to North America, like Neal Cassady reincarnate. (Zaremba)

The Living Jarboe

Jarboe's music is defined by the way she uses her powerful voice, a mutable, inventive instrument that haunts, terrifies, soothes and mourns. The former member of beloved post-punk outfit Swans has been prolific since the band's break-up in 1997, perfecting her experimental art and collaborating widely across the musical spectrum, notably with Bay Area legends Neurosis. This appearance as the Living Jarboe enlists the help of a violinist and a guitarist to bring her seething, squalling, challenging songs to life. (Ben Richardson)